Stand By Me
by Cloud van Dyk
Summary: When Michiru starts to suffer from Paranoia, Haruka soon finds herself in a living hell, since Michiru thinks the worst of her...FINISHED!! ^_^v
1. It's Gonna Be Alright

Author's Note: I'm not getting enough sleep. *yawns* And thanks to me being insomniac, I come up with the weirdest ideas ^_^ Anyway...the idea for the following story came to me when I talked to a psychologist. Somehow, we came up with the topic paranoia, and he told me the strangest things about it...that's what I made of his info. 

Dedication: I dedicate this fic to my new Boss Alexandra, the wonderful woman who got me out of a department I hated and took me into hers, which I love :-) And to my girlfriend Lara, the one who holds my heart. Ti Amo, my One and Only! 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna or Hotaru, as well as I do not own any other mentioned character from Sailormoon. They are all © of Naoko Takeuchi, and she won't give them to me, no matter how much I bug her *cries*

Stand By Me

Prologue: It's Gonna Be Alright

A tall, beautiful woman with long, dark green hair stood in front of the huge glass window, looking down in the room that lay behind it. She turned around when she heard slight thumping sounds approaching her and looked at the person. The newcomer was a rather masculine looking blonde female, even taller then the other woman; she haltered closer, leaning on two crutches for support. "Haruka." The green haired woman now spoke, earning a greeting in reply. "Hey, Setsuna." Haruka came to a stop next to her friend and looked into the room Setsuna had been staring in before. "How is she?" The question asked by the blonde was nearly inaudible, and her voice shook while her eyes started to glisten with tears – like they had done so often during the last weeks. "The doctors say that she'll be alright someday." Setsuna replied, placing a gentle hand on Harukas shoulder. The tall blonde closed her eyes for a moment, desperate to keep the tears from flowing. She looked into the room again where a beautiful, aqua haired woman sat, talking to one of the psychiatrists. "Someday, they say..." Harukas voice sounded even huskier than usual, and when she looked at Setsuna again, the tears ran down her cheeks. "And when will that be? When will she get the thought out of her head that I want to..." Her voice cracked, and a racked sob freed itself from her throat. Setsuna stepped closer and hugged her friend, careful not to hurt her right leg. "I don't know, Haruka." The green haired woman whispered. "I really don't know. But it's gonna be alright, I promise." _"She tried to, dammit!" _The unexpected yell caused both Haruka and Setsuna to flinch, and they returned their attention to the window again. Michiru was shouting at the doctor, and every word she yelled out pierced Harukas heart like a glowing knife. _"Haruka tried to kill me! I just shot her because I want to live!" _Haruka squeezed her eyes shut and turned her back at the huge window, not wanting to hear or see anymore of this. "I'm home." She whispered. Setsuna just nodded and watched how Haruka walked away – with the slow, tired steps of a beaten woman. Setsuna sighed and looked back into the room where Michiru talked to the psychiatrist. "Haruka didn't want to kill you, Michiru." The friendly man now spoke, smiling. "She loves you and always wanted the best for you. Don't you know that?" "She tried to poison me." Michiru pointed out. "She tried to kill me, and I know it. That's why I shot her. To protect myself." Setsuna shook her head and turned around to leave. It would take a lot more time to heal Michiru. Paranoia was a terrible thing...especially when the victim was afraid of the one who loved her more than anything.


	2. Painful Memory

Chapter 1: Painful Memory

The yellow cab came to a stop in front of the big mansion, the back doors opened and Haruka moved herself out, using her crutches for support. She thanked and paid the driver before limping over to the front door. The blonde unlocked it and entered her house, sighing as soon as she stood in the hallway. Her eyes fell on the door across the room, and slowly, she made her way over to it and opened it. Harukas eyes wandered over the huge double bed that stood in the middle of the room, then her eyes fell on the dark brown stain in the carpet. Although Setsuna desperately had tried to clean it out, it still was there; a little lighter than before, but still visible. Blood didn't wash out easily. Haruka closed her eyes, a painful flood of memories overwhelming her. 

__

"Michiru, DON'T!" Setsunas voice, screaming, shocked..._"Stay back! She tried to kill me!" _...the cold, black steel of the gun in Michirus hands..._"Please, Michiru, put that gun down. Please..." _And Haruka herself, pleading her lover to calm down. 

__

"Dammit!" Haruka screamed, letting go of one of her crutches and smashing her left fist against the wall. "God dammit...why? Why did that have to happen? WHY, for heaven's sake?!" The blonde smashed her fist against the wall over and over again, not caring when her knuckled started to bleed, and not caring when her punches left bloodstains on the white wall. Finally, the blonde broke down crying, her whole body shaking with desperate sobs. "Haruka-Papa?" a small, frightened voice came from the door, causing the blonde to look up. Through the fog created from her tears, she could see a small figure standing in the doorway. "Haruka-Papa, are you alright?" Hotaru slowly walked over to her crying Papa, kneeling down next to her. Haruka nodded, but Hotaru saw that her daddy was lying and gently hugged her. After a short moment of hesitation, Haruka let her tears flow again, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why did that have to happen?" she cried while Hotaru stroke her shaking back. "I love her so much...I always did everything to make her happy...and...and..." Haruka couldn't talk on, the sobs that racked her body wouldn't allow that. "Shhht, Haruka-Papa." Hotaru whispered. "Shht. Calm down. The doctors will be able to help Michiru-Mama, I know." "And what if not?" Haruka asked, looking at her daughter with her eyes red from crying. "What if she never...never stops thinking that I want to kill her?" "That won't happen." Hotaru reassured her. "They surely will be able to help her, Daddy." The little girls gaze fell on the bloody knuckles of her Papa, and she nearly gasped. "Now, let me take care of your hand." She spoke as gently as possible. Haruka nodded, and Hotaru helped her getting to her feet, handing her the crutch she had dropped. The two of them made their way into the bathroom, where Hotaru cleaned and bandaged her Papa's hand. "There, all done." The little girl said as soon as she was finished. "Thanks." Haruka mumbled, remembering the times when Michiru had tended to her wounds after battles. Hotaru huggled her papa once more. "Don't worry, Haruka-Papa. I'm sure that everything will turn out good in the end." Haruka nodded, though not really convinced inside. She leaned on her crutches again and gave a weak smile to Hotaru. "I'm going for a walk, Hime-chan. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Hotaru nodded and watched her Papa leave, a sad expression in her dark eyes.

Haruka slowly made her way down the street, her crotches producing small thudding noises on the concrete. Some of the people who passed by gave her weird looks, others curious, but most of them looked at her with sympathy. Haruka ignored them all; she just wanted to be alone, wanted to have peace for a while. The blonde made her way over to the park where she and Michiru had been taking so much romantic walks, deep in thought. She was just about to walk over to one of the empty benches when a young man on inline skates came driving by, way too fast. His foot hit one of Harukas crutches, causing the blonde woman to loose balance. She tried to regain it for a few seconds before she fell, yelping in pain when her right leg hit the concrete. "Oh my God!" the inline skater cried out, performed a sharp U-Turn and came to a halt next to Haruka. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he asked, full of concern. "No...no, I'm fine." Haruka replied, trying to get up. The young man quickly helped her by first handing her the crutches she'd dropped and then helping her up. "Hey..." he spoke as soon as she stood, studying her face. "Aren't you the one who was shot down by her crazy girlfriend? It was all over the news and...." All of a sudden, a strong hand closed around his throat, and he met teal eyes full of anger, fury...and a deep sadness. "Don't you dare to call her crazy again." The blonde now hissed. "Don't you _dare!" _The last word was shouted out, causing many people to stop and stare. Soon, whispers emerged from the crowd. "She's the one who was shot down by that maniac, right? ... yeah, that violin girl who snapped...I know her name, Michiru Kaioh, she has to be pretty twisted..." Harukas head snapped around, and she yelled at the shocked people. They weren't shocked because of her yelling, though; they were shocked because the always tough, always cool racer Haruka Tenoh was crying. "Don't talk about her like that! You don't know anything!" the blonde shouted, letting go of the frightened young man in the process. "Just piss off, all of you!" Quickly, the people moved on, leaving Haruka behind. The blonde made her way over to the bench, her vision blurry, and let herself fall down it. Then, she buried her face in her hands and cried. 


	3. Still In Love With You

Chapter 2: Still In Love With You

When Haruka returned home, it was already dark outside. Hotaru and Setsuna were sitting at the kitchen table, obviously worried and waiting for her. "Haruka-Papa!" Hotaru cried out as soon as she heard the familiar thumping of the crutches in the hallway. The little girl jumped up from her chair and ran out of the kitchen, nearly crashing into her daddy. Haruka gave her a weak smile and let go of the left crutch to stroke her hair. "We were so worried about you." Hotaru spoke, burying her face in her papas stomach. Setsuna came walking out of the kitchen, smiling at the taller blonde. "Hello, Haruka." "Hey Setsuna." Haruka replied, giving her another weak smile. "We should change your bandage, Haruka-Papa." Hotaru spoke, eyeing her daddys leg warily. Haruka just nodded and slowly made her way over into the living room; to Setsuna and her daughter, it was clear that the blonde was in pain from walking for such a long time. Slowly, Haruka sat down on the couch, taking off her jeans as soon as she sat. Setsuna gently removed the bandage from her friend's upper leg, causing the stitched bullet wound to become visible. "It's healing already." The green haired woman spoke, but Haruka didn't really seem to care if her wound healed or not. "Good." She replied flatly, obvious to Setsunas concern. The senshi of time and space didn't say anything about her friend's behavior; instead, she applied a new bandage to Harukas leg after making sure that all the stitches were as tight as they were supposed to be. As soon as Setsuna was finished, Haruka stood up, picked up her jeans and left the room. Setsuna and Hotaru looked after her, then Setsuna got to her feet. "I'll go and talk to her, Hotaru." She spoke, looking at her daughter. Hotaru nodded and sighed. "Make her happy again, Setsuna-Mama." She then pleaded. Setsuna sighed, too, and replied: "I'll try to, Hotaru." 

"Haruka?" The blonde looked at the door when she heard Setsunas voice, but didn't stand up from her place on the window bench. "Yeah." She replied, returning her gaze to the window again. "Can I come in?" Setsuna asked, satisfied when she received another "Yeah" in response. She opened the door and walked into the room, closing it behind her. "Are you feeling well?" the green haired woman asked, concern in her voice. Haruka shook her head without looking at Setsuna. "I went to the park." The blonde spoke after a few moments of silence. Setsuna walked over to the window bench and sat down next to Harukas feet. She sensed that Haruka would talk on soon and thus didn't say anything. "A young man on inline skates bumped into my crutch and caused me to fall." Haruka spoke on, her voice barely more than a whisper. "He helped me up again, and suddenly he said something about Michiru. Said that she's a maniac." Setsuna reached out and took Harukas hand into hers, her blonde friends cold, shaking hand. "Other people stopped when I grabbed him and yelled at him. They started it, too…they called her crazy, twisted, sick…" Haruka couldn't talk on, but pulled free from Setsunas grip and buried her face in her hands. "Why did this happen?" her voice sounded muffled and tearful. "Why, Setsuna? Oh God, why…" "I don't know." Setsuna replied, hot tears stinging in her eyes all of a sudden. "I don't know, Haruka…I wish I would." Haruka looked up at her again, tears in her eyes. And then, for the first time since the final event that lead to Michiru in the mental asylum, the tall blonde woman allowed her friend to hug and comfort her. 

"I'm going to see her today." Hotaru and Setsuna looked up from their breakfast plates, (A/N: No, I didn't forget that Haruka came home when it was dark outside. It's the next morning.) meeting Harukas determined serious gaze. "Do you think…that you can handle it?" Setsuna finally asked. Haruka just nodded, then spoke on. "I'll go there alone." Both Hotaru and Setsuna nodded, although Hotaru didn't look all too happy about her papas decision. Haruka finished her breakfast, said a few goodbye words to Hotaru and Setsuna and finally left the house, making her way to the next bus stop.

"She's in her room at the moment. If you want, you can go there…of course with a male nurse for backup." Michirus doctor spoke, earning a sharp look from Haruka. "I want to see her alone." She then informed the man, but he shook his head. "I'm afraid that I can't allow that." He replied. "The danger of Kaioh-San attacking you is too high." "I don't care." Haruka replied. "There are a few things I need to tell her, and I don't want anyone to hear." The doctor glared at Haruka, who glared back. "Seems like I can't keep you from this crazy idea anyway." He finally spoke. "Fine then, go and see her alone. But if she attacks you, it's alone your fault, and we can't be blamed!" "Deal." Haruka replied. The doctor led the blonde through a long corridor and finally stopped in front of a white door. He unlocked it and poked his head into the room. "Michiru? You have a visitor." He spoke in a friendly tone before he moved to the side and allowed Haruka to enter the room. "Hi." The blonde spoke quietly while the doctor closed the door behind her, leaving the two former lovers alone. Michiru looked at her, scared. "Are you here to hurt me again?" she finally asked, her voice shaking. Haruka closed her eyes for a moment before she replied. "No. I just want to talk, Michiru." Michiru eyed her warily. "You sure?" Haruka nodded before she pointed to one of the two chairs that stood in the room. "Can I sit down?" After a short moment of hesitation, Michiru nodded. Haruka sat down, facing her former lover who sat on the bed. "Michiru, I…" the blonde looked down and took in a deep breath. "I would never hurt you." She finally spoke, looking up again. Michiru didn't seem to believe her. "And…no matter what you think…" Haruka talked on, noticing how Michiru already pulled back into her own little world of paranoid thoughts, "I…I'm still in love with you. And I will help you, no matter the cost. I will help you to get well again." "You say that you're still in love with me." Michiru slowly spoke, her eyes glistening in a way that Haruka knew all to well by now. The small glint of paranoia. "But who guarantees me that you are telling the truth and not trying to gain my trust so you can try to kill me again?" Haruka could feel how something inside her snapped, and suddenly she found herself shouting: "I never tried to kill you! I love you, for heaven's sake!" Michiru flinched, scared to death again. "Someone help!" the aqua haired girl screamed in fear. "Someone help me, she wants to kill me!" The door flew open and two muscled male nurses stormed in. One of them took care of Michiru while the other one led Haruka out of the room. The blonde closed her eyes as soon as the door was closed again, a vain attempt to hold her tears back. She failed. 


	4. The Beginning

Chapter 3: The Beginning 

„I think we should talk to her." Hotaru spoke, looking at her Setsuna-Mama with a worried expression. Setsuna shook her head no. "No, not yet. She needs to be alone now." Hotaru sighed and looked at the closed door that led to Harukas room. After her papa had returned from the mental asylum, she had vanished in her room and had refused to come out again. That had been three hours ago. "And what if Haruka-Papa…tries to hurt herself?" Hotaru finally spoke out the thought that bothered her ever since Haruka had returned home. Setsuna shook her head. "She won't." Hotaru finally gave up and accepted her mama's decision to leave her daddy alone for now. Sighing, the little girl pulled her gaze away from the door and followed her Setsuna-mama into the kitchen.

Haruka sat once more on the window bench, staring through the glass, but not really seeing anything. She had been in the same position for the last three hours, but right now, time meant nothing to the tall blonde. Haruka leaned her head against the cool glass of the window and closed her eyes, the slow beginning of Michirus paranoia and her own misery flashing up in front of her inner eye.

~*~ Flashback~*~

"HARUKA! HARUKA, HELP!" The tall blonde racer literally jumped out of bed at the voice of her best friend Setsuna, startled to no-end. Next to her, Michiru sat upright in bed, her eyes wide. "What the…" Haruka mumbled while she quickly put her bathrobe on and stormed out of the room. She found Setsuna in the kitchen – standing on a chair. "Huh?" The blonde blinked twice, her already raised fists falling back to her side. "Help me, Haruka." Setsuna whined. "With what?" Haruka asked, slightly annoyed. "Don't you know how to get down on the ground again, or what?" Setsuna glared down at her blonde friend. "Of course I know how to get down again! But I don't want to." She then informed the racer. Haruka sighed. "And why not?" she then asked sweetly. That was when she felt something hairy on her right foot. Setsuna screamed again, and Haruka looked down just in time to see a big, gray rat running away and underneath the kitchen desk. "The rat!" Setsuna screeched. "Catch it! Kill it! Get rid of it!" Haruka stared at her friend wide-eyed. "You are…you are scared of the rat?"_ she finally asked. Setsuna nodded, and Haruka covered her eyes with one hand. "Setsuna, you are the guardian of time and space…you are over 2000 years old…(A/N: Is that correct? O_o) you survived all enemies we had…and now you are scared of a small __rat?" "It's not small, it's big." Setsuna pointed out. Haruka shook her head in defeat, then walked over to the chair, grabbed the green haired woman around the waist and pulled her down. Setsuna screeched again and clinged to Haruka as if her life depended on it. "Setsuna, let go of me!" Haruka demanded, prying the time guardians hands off her bathrobe. "I think we still have some rat poison in the cellar, I'll put some of it on the cheese we have and the rat will be gone soon." The blonde than tried to calm her friend down. Setsuna sighed and nodded. "Okay then. But I won't enter the kitchen anymore until the rat is dead!" Now it was Harukas turn to sigh, but she agreed. "Fine, whatever. I'll be right back." And with that, the blonde hurried down into the cellar to get the rat poison. _

_"It was my fault what happened to her." Haruka whispered to herself, closing her eyes. "After I put the rat poison on the cheese, the phone rang and I left…Hotaru didn't know about it all, and she put the cheese back into the fridge…where Michiru found it."_

"Hotaru?" Michirus melodic voice drifted through the house, and soon after, her adopted daughter came running by. "Yes Mama?" she asked cutely, looking at Michiru. "Can you do me a favor and smell this cheese once?" the aqua haired girl asked, holding the cheese down to her daughter. Hotaru sniffed and made a face. "Eww, it smells odd. Oh wait, maybe it stood outside the fridge too long." Michiru frowned. "Outside the fridge?" she asked, and Hotaru nodded. "Haruka-Papa took the cheese out and put some stuff on it, then the phone rang and she left to answer it. I put the cheese back in the fridge, so it wouldn't start to smell funky. But I think I was to late." The last sentence was spoken in a sad voice, and Michiru patted Hotarus head. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. Hey, can you show me the stuff your papa put on the cheese?" "Sure!" Hotaru beamed, ran over to the cupboard and produced a small white box from it. She handed it to Michiru, who looked at it. "Rat poison." She read out loud, her eyes widening. Rat poison…deadly for humans as well…and Haruka had put it on her favorite cheese. 

"Damn!" Haruka screamed, smashing her fist against the window in agony. Her still bandaged knuckles broke open again, and soon the white cloth was bloodstained. "Damn…" Haruka whispered, leaning her head against the glass once more. Shortly after Michiru had been sent to the mental asylum, Setsuna had tried to make it clear to the blonde that it hadn't been her fault what had happened to her lover. According to the doctor's statement, the base for paranoia had been in Michirus thoughts for a very long time already, and the cheese incident had been the thing that had made the base grow to a full, serious illness. And still Haruka couldn't stop blaming herself for what had happened to her lover. She cried silent tears while blood seeped out of the bandage and over her hand, deep inside wishing that it would've been her paranoia and not Michirus. Wishing that Michiru still was the same person, happy and carefree…and wishing that she herself was the one in the mental asylum. 


	5. Into The Dark

Chapter 4: Into The Dark

While Haruka sat on her window bench, pondering about the past events, Michiru laid on the more or less comfy bed of her room, staring up at her ceiling. _"Are you here to hurt me again?" she heard her own voice, speaking in her mind. __"No. I just want to talk." Came another, well-known speaker. Michiru closed her eyes, the image of her traitorous lover appearing in front of her inner eye. "She said that she's still in love with me." The aqua haired girl whispered to herself. "But can I trust her?" _"No."_ a third voice came, a voice Michiru knew well by now, too. Turning her head, Michiru looked at herself, sitting on the chair Haruka had been using before, a smug smile on her face. _"You can't trust her."_ Her counterpart now spoke. "Why not?" Michiru asked, frowning. "She said that she loves me…and I remember happy times with her…" _"…that were only show on her part."_ The other, "evil" Michiru replied. _"Did you really think that Haruka loves you?"_ she talked on, her voice full of scoff. _"She never did, stupid girl. All she loved was your money…and when she had enough of screwing you, she decided to get rid of you. End of story."_ "That's not true." Michiru whispered, hot tears stinging in her eyes all of a sudden. __"Oh yes, it is, and you know it. You know that she wanted to kill you, right?" Michiru nodded, the tears running down her cheeks. "Yes…she wanted to kill me…the poison…and later on, the knife…" the aqua haired girl spoke to herself, burying her face in the pillows. __"She wanted to kill you." Her mirror image repeated, standing up from the chair and walking over to the bed. __"And that's why you had to shoot her, right?" Michiru nodded again, the memory of her shooting her lover coming up in front of her inner eye._

~*~ Flashback ~*~

"Michiru, this is total nonsense. Why on earth would I want to kill you?" Haruka demanded to know, speaking to the closed and locked door of the bedroom. Michiru rummaged through the cupboards in the meantime, frantically, nearly scared to death. Harukas fist hammered against the wood of the door once more, and Michiru let out a shriek. "If she gets in here before I find it, I'm in trouble." The aqua haired girl spoke to herself, digging deeper into the cupboard. And then, she finally found the object of desire. Pulling the revolver out of it's hiding place, Michiru quickly checked it to make sure that it was loaded before she turned around, facing the door. "Haruka, what's going on?" Setsunas voice came from the hallway. Michiru listened, waiting for the one who claimed to be her lover to reply. Waiting for the reply of the one who wanted to kill her. "Michiru locked herself in there, she thinks I want to kill her!" Finally, the low and husky voice exclaimed, the statement followed by a little gasp. Hotaru. "Michiru-mama? Are you in there?" "Go away." Michiru whispered, more to herself than to the little girl outside. "Go away…you are not supposed to see this…" "Michiru, I'll open the door now!" Haruka shouted. One second later, the wood shook with the force of the blonde crashing against it. After three more crashed, the door finally swung open. Haruka entered the room – and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the gun glistening in Michirus hands. "Back off." Michiru spoke, her voice surprisingly calm. "Michiru…" Haruka started, her fear clearly showing in her voice, "please put that gun away. Please." „I said, back off." Michiru repeated, still as calm as ever. She readied the gun, aiming it at Harukas head. "Unless you don't want me to blow your brain out of your head." "I don't want to harm you." Haruka spoke, trying to sound reassuring and convincing, but failed. "Yeah right." Michiru shot back. "You are trying to kill me! Why don't you just admit it, dammit?!" Haruka took one step forward, opening her mouth to say something, but Michiru yelled at her: "Back off!!" Her finger closed around the trigger. "Michiru, _don't!" Setsuna shouted, but it was too late. Michiru pulled the trigger, the shot rang and one second later Haruka fell to the ground, screaming in tremendous pain while blood splashed from the shot wound in her right upper leg. "Daddy!" Hotaru cried out while Setsuna launched forward, tackling Michiru and wrestling the gun out of her hands. After a short, hard fight, the guardian of time and space somehow managed to knock her friend out, immediately feeling sorry for what she had done. Turning around, the green haired woman found herself looking at Hotaru who kneeled on the ground, Harukas head in her lap. The blonde was staring up at the ceiling, her breath coming in rasped, pain-filled gasps. Her leg was bleeding heavily, the blood dripping on the carpet and coloring it red. "Hotaru, stay here with your papa." Setsuna spoke in a soothing voice, trying to keep her calm. "I'll call the police and the ambulance, I'll be right back." Hotaru nodded, gently stroking her papa's sweaty face while Setsuna hurried out of the room. _

_"See?" Michirus mirror image spoke, smiling satisfied. __"You had to shoot her to keep yourself save. And you still think that she loves you?" "No." Michiru spoke out loud, sitting up on the bed. "She doesn't love me…all she loves is my money." Her mirror image smiled at her, a cruel, somehow evil smile. __"Good thing you finally got that into your head. Go to sleep now, Michiru…everything will turn out good in the end." Michiru nodded again, letting herself fall back on the bed. Soon, her eyes closed, and she went off into the dark. _


	6. Moments Of Sanity

Chapter 5: Moments Of Sanity

„Haruka, wake up." The blonde groaned and opened her eyes to the gentle voice of Setsuna, only to nearly fall off the window bench in the next second. Setsuna grabbed her arms just in time to prevent her from falling, and after a few seconds, Haruka had regained her balance. "You fell asleep on the window bench. I suggest you go to bed." The green haired woman spoke, smiling. Haruka yawned and nodded while she climbed off the window bench, for one moment not thinking about her hurt leg. She was reminded about it when a stinging pain erupted from the wound and spread all over her body. Letting out a pain filled gasp, Haruka stumbled forward and nearly fell again – only to be caught from Setsuna once more. "Be careful!" the senshi of time and space scolded. Haruka just sighed, leaned on her crutches and made her way over to the bed. She was just about to lie down when the phone rang, causing both Setsuna and her to jump. "Who's calling at such a time?" Setsuna then grumbled, looking at her watch. It was three o'clock in the morning. "I'll be right back." With that, the time guardian left the bedroom and went to answer the phone. When she returned a few minutes later, her face had an unhealthy pale color. "Who was that?" Haruka asked, alerted. "The mental asylum." Setsuna replied, her voice shaking. "Haruka…Michiru managed to escape somehow. And the doctor fears that she's on her way to us…and that she may try to kill you again." 

Haruka sat on the bed, not able to say anything. She just stared at Setsuna, her shock clearly showing on her face. "W-what?" the blonde finally managed to stammer out. Setsuna nodded, sitting down next to Haruka. "What shall we do now?" Haruka finally asked, looking at her friend with tears shimmering in her eyes. "I can't bring myself to hurting her…even if she would try to rip my heart out, I'd let it happen." "We must talk to her." Setsuna replied, trying to keep calm. "Maybe we can convince her to go back into the asylum." Haruka let out a short, bitter laugh. "Yeah right. Setsuna, Michiru shot me. Do you really think that she'll listen to our words now? She still thinks that I want to…" the blonde trailed off. Both women flinched again when the doorbell rang. "That has to be her." Haruka spoke, her voice unsteady. Before Setsuna could reply anything, the blonde had grabbed her crutches and got to her feet. "Haruka, don't." Setsuna spoke while her blonde friend already was on her way to the door. Haruka looked over her shoulder, a fierce determination in her eyes. "I'll let her in and try to talk to her." The blonde then spoke. Setsuna just opened her mouth to object, but it was too late. Haruka opened the door.

"Hi, Michiru." The blonde calmly spoke, looking down at the smaller woman who had once been in love with her. And maybe still was. "Hello." Michiru replied softly. She noticed how Harukas eyes checked her hands and other body parts. "I don't have any weapons with me." The aqua haired girl spoke, causing Haruka to look away and cough. "I didn't imply that you have." The blonde finally spoke, looking at her love's face again. "Your eyes told me." Michiru replied, taking a step towards the blonde – who took a step back in return. Michiru stopped and looked at her, a hurt expression in her face. "You are scared of me, right?" she finally asked. Haruka shrugged, nearly loosing her crutches in the process. "That shouldn't surprise you." The blonde then replied. "After all, you…you shot me." Michiru nodded, looking down on the floor. "As if I could forget that." She then whispered, her eyes glued to the white bandage that was shimmering through Harukas blue pajama slacks. "I'm sorry." She finally spoke, causing Haruka to frown. "Sorry?" she repeated. Michiru nodded, letting out a sigh. "Haruka, I can't stay longer." Michiru suddenly spoke, her voice getting frantic while the paranoid glint returned to her eyes. "If I do…I'll attack you again." _"She had a sane moment!" Haruka finally realized, her eyes widening. "Michiru!" she called out, taking a step forward while her love already made her way out of the door. "Michiru, wait!" The door was closed, leaving Haruka standing in the doorway. "Michiru." The blonde whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek._

Michiru walked out of the house – and found herself looking at five police men who all aimed their guns at her. "Don't shoot!" Michiru called out, raising her hands. "Did you harm Tenoh-San?" one of the police men shouted, causing Michiru to flinch. "No." she replied. One of the windows opened, and Haruka poked her head out. "Nothing happened!" she yelled. "We just talked." The leading police man nodded and looked at Michiru again. "Would you follow us, please?" he asked. Michiru nodded, looked up at Haruka one last time and then calmly walked over to the waiting police car. 


	7. Because I Love You

Chapter 6: Because I Love You

Michiru walked into her cell and sat down on the bed, sighing. She knew that her psychiatrist would show up any moment to bug her with questions again, and she really didn't have the nerve for that right now. All she wanted was to talk to Haruka once more…but deep inside, Michiru knew that it was dangerous. Dangerous for Haruka. The aqua haired girl never knew when her sane moments would end and the paranoia would start again; but she knew that Haruka was in great danger if she happened to be around just then. Michiru sighed and let herself fall down on the bed when the door of her cell opened. One second later, her psychiatrist poked his head in. Big surprise. "Hey, Michiru." The man spoke, trying to sound friendly and trust-worthy. "Hey." Michiru replied, sitting up again. "You have time to talk?" the doctor asked, and Michiru let out a short bitter laugh. "You know that I always have time to talk." She replied. The psychiatrist sat down on the chair Haruka had been using a while ago and looked at her. "Why did you run off today and over to Harukas house?" he finally asked. "Because I wanted to see her." Michiru replied calmly. « But you think that she wants to kill you. So why do you want to see her?" the doctor asked on, causing Michiru to roll her eyes. "Because I love her. And I know that she doesn't want to kill me." The doctor nodded and stood up. "Michiru, it seems that your sanity is coming back slowly. Looks like the therapies and the medications work." Michiru nodded before she spoke up: "I have a question to ask, doctor." "Just go on." The man replied. "I…I want to see Haruka again. Can I call her tomorrow?" The doctor thought about this for a moment and finally agreed. "Okay." "Thanks." Michiru whispered. The psychiatrist wished her a good night and left the cell, closing the door behind him.

Michiru sat in the visiting room, patiently waiting for Haruka to show up. Her heart started to sing when she heard the thumping sounds of the crutches approaching. Soon, the door opened, and Haruka entered the room. The blonde made her way over to the desk where Michiru sat waiting and sat down, too, facing her. "Hello." Michiru softly spoke. "Hi." Haruka replied in a neutral tone. There was an awkward silence between the two, until Haruka spoke up. "Why did you want to see me?" "Because…I wanted to talk to you." _"Dammit Michiru, why can't you tell her that you love her? She thought to herself. Her heart performed a little leap when Harukas body and facial expression, which both had been pretty tensed, relaxed and softened. The blonde reached over the desk and gently took Michirus hand into hers. "The medications and the therapies are working." Michiru softly spoke. "The doctor thinks that I'll be…healed soon." "I can't wait for you to come home again." Haruka replied, her voice even huskier than usual and clouded with emotion. "You don't hate me?" Michiru finally spoke, her voice clearly showing fear. Fear of what the answer would be. "I could never hate you." Haruka replied, sudden tears shimmering in her eyes. "What happened wasn't your fault, Michiru. You were ill." "I wanted to kill you." Michiru now whispered, her eyes glued to the surface of the desk in front of her. "I thought that you wanted to murder me…but the truth is…I wanted to murder you." "Stop talking about that." Haruka pleaded, giving the aqua haired girl's hand a gentle squeeze. "As soon as you are healed, you'll come home. Back to me. And we'll forget about that whole episode, okay?" Michiru nodded, and all of a sudden, she came to her feet, hurried around the desk and fell into Harukas arms, who held her tight. "I love you." Haruka whispered, stroking Michirus back. "I love you…" Michiru buried her face in Harukas shoulder, crying. Haruka just held her tight for a while, and finally, Michiru pulled back to look at her. "I didn't only want to see you because I wanted to talk." She spoke softly. Haruka raised one eyebrow, but stayed silent. "I wanted to see you…because I love you." Michiru finally spoke out the words she had wanted to say ever since Haruka had entered the room. Haruka smiled at her, obviously happy to hear those magic three words from her lover. "And I love you." The blonde replied. "I'll love you forever, no matter what." Michiru couldn't help but smile at the words of her girlfriend. "Thanks, Haruka. You have no idea…how much this means to me." Haruka just pulled her close again and sighed. "Please come home soon." She then whispered into her lover's ear. "Please." Michiru nodded, looking up at Haruka smiling. "I'll come home. I promise." The aqua haired girl replied. Then, the visiting time was over, and two male nurses entered, ready to accompany Michiru into her cell. "I love you." Haruka called out once more before the door closed. "I love you." The blonde whispered, her eyes focused at the white door. "Always and forever."  _


	8. Home Again

Epilogue: Home Again

During the next two weeks, Michiru continued her therapy and took the medicaments the doctors gave her, much to Harukas relief. The blonde visited her lover as often as possible; she would've come every day, but Michirus doctor wouldn't allow that. It could "affect the healing-process", like he had put it, angering Haruka to no end with that. The blonde had threatened him to whack him over the head with one of her crutches, then had decided otherwise. Now, Haruka sat in her living room and patiently waited for Setsuna to change her bandage. The guardian of time and space was on the phone, talking to Michirus doctor…but from what Haruka could hear, they weren't really talking about Michiru, but more likely about going out next Saturday. Finally, Setsuna was finished and practically floated into the living room. "I can't believe you have a date with Michirus psychologist." Haruka spoke amused. Setsuna stopped dead in her tracks and shot a glare towards her blonde friend. "Did you eavesdrop?" she then asked, placing her hands on her hips. "I would never!" Haruka replied as innocent as possible, a halo appearing over her head. Setsuna smiled and shook her head. "We also talked about Michiru." She then said, sitting down next to Haruka. "She'll be allowed to come back home next week." "Really?!" Haruka yelled out, nearly jumping up with joy. Setsuna managed to stop her by putting both hands on her shoulders in the very last second. "Haruka, don't! Your stitches will break up again." Haruka forced herself to keep sitting; instead of jumping, she threw her fists in the air as if she was in triumph. "Yay! Michiru will come back home!" the blonde cried out, causing Setsuna to eye her warily. "Haruka…you didn't drink the whisky from the kitchen again, did you?" she then asked. Haruka stopped cheering and looked at Setsuna, with fake shock. "No! Of course not." The green haired woman just sighed and started to change the bandage while Haruka went off into daydream land, thinking about how it would be when Michiru came back home.

The door to the apartment opened, and Setsuna entered, carrying the traveler's bag Michiru had been allowed to use in the mental asylum. Michiru herself followed shortly after the taller woman; she walked into the apartment pretty fast, since she wanted to see Haruka as soon as possible. "Haruka! We are home." Setsuna called out. The very next second, the bedroom door opened, and there stood Haruka, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, leaning on her crutches. Hot tears were shimmering in her teal eyes, and when Michiru saw this, she could feel how the same thing happened to her. "Haruka…" she whispered. Setsuna discreetly moved into the kitchen, leaving the two lovers alone. "I missed you so much." Haruka now spoke. Michiru moved closer to her, and the two of them embraced. Michiru buried her face in Harukas chest, a racked sob shaking her body. Haruka closed her eyes and gently put her arms around the aqua haired woman, rubbing her back. "I missed you too." Michiru replied, hugging her girlfriend close. She could feel Harukas body warmth through the material of the bath robe, and that made it clear to her how much she had missed her lover during the last weeks. Although Haruka had visited her often, it hadn't be the same; the cold visiting rooms hadn't allowed any intimacy at all, and now Michiru longed for Haruka, for her lips and her touch. "Please…" the aqua haired woman now whispered, "please…just kiss me." Haruka grateful fulfilled her lover's wish, and while they kissed, they made their way into the bedroom, Michiru kicking the door close while Harukas crutches fell to the floor, completely forgotten. The two of them fell down on the bed, and Harukas last thought was "Thank God she's home again." And then, the blonde fell into a whirl of passion and love and couldn't think anymore for a very long time.

THE END!!!


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